Orchis simia Lamarck 1779 Photo by © Pieter C. Brouwer and his Photo Website

Plant and Flowers in situ Photo by Pascal Pernot and His Orchids of France and Europe

Part sun Cold Spring

O militaris Group

Common Name The Monkey Orchis [refers to the lip shape]

Flower Size 1 1/4" [2.75 cm]

A small to medium sized, cold growing terrestrial from Great Britain, Libya, Algeria, Spain, the Balearic Islands, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Albania, the eastern Aegean Islands, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Crimea, Turkmeistan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Iran in calcareous soils in dry grasslands, scrub and open forests at elevations of sea level to 1500 meters with a green stem carrying 2 to 6 basal, near erect to spreading, in a rosette, unmarked, whitish green, oval to lanceolate, slightly channeled leaves and 1 to 4, smaller, clasping, cauline leaves above that blooms in the spring on an oblong, densly many [15 to 55] flowered, 2 to 3" [5 to 7.5 cm] long inflorescence with the lowermost flowers opening last.

Synonyms Orchis italica Lamarck ?; Orchis linearis Tourlet 1903; Orchis militaris Sm. 1808; Orchis militaris var. simia (Lam.) Gaudin 1829; Orchis simia f. brevidens Rouy 1912; Orchis simia f. rotundilobus Cortesi 1903; Orchis simia subsp. taubertiana (B.Baumann & H.Baumann) Kreutz 2004; Orchis simia var. cercopitheca Georgi 1779; Orchis simia var. laxiflora Boiss. 1882; Orchis smithii Sweet 1826; Orchis taubertiana B.Baumann & H.Baumann 2001; Orchis tephrosantha Vill 1779; Orchis zoophora Tuil. 1799

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 38 No 9 1969 photo fide; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 4 193 to 256 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1973; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 4 1980 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 10 1981 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 48 No 5 1984 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 1 1985 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 1 1986 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 2 1986; Orchid Digest Vol 66 #2 2002 photo fide; Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East Delforge 2005; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #5 2017 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 82 #1 2018 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 87 #9 2019 photo fide;

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